Apparatus for the continuous treatment of natural and synthetic fibers with a solvent

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus for the treatment of textile materials which comprises a wet-treatment device containing in its first portion a trough-shaped tank which contains a solvent, inlet means for introducing the materials to be treated to the wet-treatment device and into the solvent in a folded state, a sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft rotatably disposed in the second portion of the wet-treatment device, roller means for conveying the material being treated from the trough-shaped tank to the sieve drum means, press means disposed behind the sieve drum means for at least partially removing the solvent from the material being treated, dryer means disposed behind the press means, said dryer means comprising at least one sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft rotatably disposed in a treatment chamber, exhaust means provided at the outlet side of the treatment chamber, said recycle means also communicating with the solvent recovery device for recycling the substantially solvent free treatment medium back to the treatment chamber and outlet means for removing the material being treated from the dryer means.

United States Patent [191 Fleissner APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUSTREATMENT OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC FIBERS WITH A SOLVENT HeinzFleissner, Egelsbach bei Frankfurt, Germany [75] Inventor:

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 835,529, June 23,1969,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 68/19.1, 68/DIG. 5 [51] Int. Cl. B05c 3/138 [58] Field ofSearch 68/DIG. 5, 5 D, 5 E, 9, 68/18 C, 19.1, 158

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 521,816 6/1894 ReffitL. 68/5D 978,883 12/1910 Heberlein 68/9 2,364,838 12/1944 Williams 68/22 R2,415,379 2/1947 Vieira 68/5 E X 3,079,699 3/1963 Fry 68/5 D X 3,426,554I 2/1969 Simons 68/5 D X 3,460,898 8/1969 Fleissner 68/DIG. 5 3,537,81011/1970, Fleissner et al 68/D1G. 5

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,292,725 3/1962 France 68/9 [11]3,808,846 [451 May 7,1974

Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Assistant Examiner-Philip R. CoeAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Craig and Antonelli [57] ABSTRACT The presentdisclosure is directed to an apparatus for the treatment of textilematerials which comprises a wet-treatment device containing in its firstportion a trough-shaped tank which contains a solvent, inlet means forintroducing the materials to be treated to the wet-treatment device andinto the solvent in a folded state, a sieve drum means subjected to asuction draft rotatably disposed in the second portion of thewet-treatment device, roller means for conveying the material beingtreated from the trough-shaped tank to the sievedrum means, press meansdisposed behind the sieve drum means for at least partially removing thesolvent from the material being treated, dryer meansdisposed behind thepress means, said dryer means comprising at least one sieve drum meanssubjected to a suction draft rotatably disposed in a treatment chamber,exhaust means provided at the outlet side of the treatment chamber, saidrecycle means also communicating with the solvent recovery device forrecycling the substantially solvent free treatment medium back to thetreatment chamber and outlet means for removing the material beingtreated from the dryer means.

25 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 'PATENTEBMAY 7 191-4 SHEET 5 BF 5 1 LL r i4 1 APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETICFIBERS WITH A SOLVENT This is a division of application Ser. No.835,529, 5

filed June 23, 1969, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to anapparatus for the continuous treatment of natural and synthetic fiberswith a solvent, suchas for example, chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds,wherein the solvents are recovered and once again employed in thetreatment process. In this connection, the material can be coated,printed, or padded with preparations containing a solvent, as well asdyestuffs which can be fixed under the influence of heat and/or agentsrequired for high-finishing, for example, synthetic resins, opticalbrighteners, bleaching agents or binders. Optionally, thickeners andadditional auxiliary agents can be contained in the preparations. In thepresent process, the solvents are removed from the textile materialpreferably by means of a gas, such as air and/or steam, heated to atemperature above the evaporating temperature of the solvent. In thisconnection, it is advantageous to have the heated gas flow through thetextile material.

' moved from the solvent and if water is present, this is alsoseparated. The thus purified solvent can once again be utilized for thecleaning of clothes and similar textile articles.

Furthermore, a continuously operating cleaning plant has been suggested,said plant using solvents as a cleaning agent. This continuouslyoperating unit consists of a cleaning plant and a drying and recoveryplant. In the cleaning plant, the webb of material is conducted over tworows of rolls, the lower row of rolls being disposed in the solventbath. Squeeze rolls can be associated with the upper row of rolls inorder to achieve an improved cleaning effect. At the end of the cleaningbath, a press (wringer) is provided. The thuspressed web of material isthen conveyed to a dryer where the material is once again guided overrolls and is subjected to drying air emanating from nozzles. Thematerial is subjected to high longitudinal tension and stress in thecleaning bath as well as in the dryer.

It has also been suggested to conduct dyeing and high-finishingprocesses with the aid of solvents. However, such treatments causedifficulties, particularly since special products suitable as solventsmust be further developed and also because the fixing process must beadapted to the solvent.

The advantage of treatment with solvents resides especially in asubstantially more economical mode of operation. The customary solventsevaporate more readily and rapidly, at a much lower temperature, then 65water. For example, the boiling point of trichlorot'rifluorethanel,1,2-trichloro-l,2,2-trifluoroethane) is 47.6C.'Also, the amount ofheat required for the dry- '2 ing step is substantially smaller.Furthermore, by using solvents, the problems and expenses involved inwaste water disposal, which are becoming increasingly larger, aresubstantially eliminated.

During a continuous treatment of textile fibers with solvents, a largeror smaller proportion of water is entrained into the solvent liquor,depending on the fibers being treated in the particular case and on theambient atmospheric humidity. Accordingly, during the solvent washingstep, the water mixes with the solvent which results in a constantenrichment with water. Consequently, the solvents employed must beconducted through a water separator (water trap) at certain intervals inorder to remove the water. However, a more troublesome aspect is thatthe treatment effect likewise differs, due to the differing proportionsof water in the solvent.

For the continuous treatment of the material with liquids, i.e.,'withsolventsand also with other fluids, several treatment baths aregenerally provided, through which the material passes successively.Between the treatment baths, presses or suction devices are disposed forsqueezing the material or for the partial withdrawal of moisture fromthe material. By pressing and also by the use of suction, the materialis placed under high stresses. Thus sensitive goods, such as structuredknitted goods, for example, can sustain damage during such dewateringprocesses.

SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION an improved apparatus for the continuoustreatment of material and synthetic fibers with a solvent wherein thesolvent is recovered and once again employed in the treatment process.

A further object of the present invention is to provide 40 an improvedapparatus for the solvent treatment of textile materials wherein thetreatment effect is very uniform and the efficiency of the apparatus issubstantially improved.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of 5 the presentinvention will become apparent from'the detailed description givenhereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription and specific examples, while indicating preferredembodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only,since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope ofthe invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thisdetailed description.

Pursuant to the present invention it has been found that theabove-mentioned disadvantages may be eliminated and a much improvedprocess for solvent treating textile materials may be obtained byremoving the solvent with a gas, e.g., air and/or steam, heated to atemperature above the evaporating temperature of the respective solvent,said gas being drawn through the fibers of said textile material. Bysubjecting the fibrous material to a throughflow in this manner, thesolvents are evaporated substantially more rapidly and intensely. At thesame time, it is possible to enrich the gas to a greater extent withevaporated solvent.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, it

is suggested, in connection with an apparatus of the hot-air orhot-steam fixing processes.

A treatment which is even substantially more intense is obtained byproviding that the fibers, at least during a portion of the wettreatment, have solvent liquor flowing therethrough, during whichprocedure the fibers are preferably guided on at least one sieve drumsubjected to a suction draft. The aforementioned process cannot only beemployed in general for the cleaning of textile articles, but also forfixing dyeing, optical brightening, and bleaching, as well as for theapplication of synthetic resins, i.e., high-finishing processes ingeneral. I

In order to eliminate the negative results obtained from the moistureentrained in the solvent bath, it is suggested to dry the material to betreated, immediately before the solvent treatment, to a constantmoisture value, e.g., to a final moisture content of about 1 percent, orto dry the material entirely. A satisfactory, uniform drying or completedrying of the material is obtained by conducting a drying medium throughthe material. It is particularly advantageous to conduct the drying stepin a sieve drum dryer which is subjected to a suction draft.

It has been surprisingly found that by employing the apparatus of thepresent invention, it is possible in an advantageous manner to dry andfix in one single process prior to the solvent treatment, textilefibers, particularly synthetic fibers, or woven or knitted materials ofsynthetic fibers. Thus it is possible to permanently apply,simultaneously with the drying step, a mechanistep and the removal ofthe solvent as well as during at least part of the fixing process, to asuction draft, i.e., to hold and fix the textile material on a conveyingmeans for example, a sieve means which is subjected to a suction draft.Because of the suction draft, the textile material is subjected to anintense throughflow of the heat-carrying medium, i.e., the gas or thesteam, and the solvent evaporated during this process is simultaneouslyremoved. However, for the drying process and the evaporation of thesolvent, it is also possible to provide infrared irradiation, highfrequency, contact heat, or other conventional heat transfer procedures.In many' cases, especially in connection with the dyeing step, it isadvantageous to conduct the web-shaped textile material without anycontact, at least at the beginning of the drying process. It is alsopossible to apply hot air, gas or steam through nozzles to the material,or such a treatment can be additionally employed, for example, inconjunction with infrared irradiation.

According to the present invention, it is furthermore suggested, toremove moisture from the material in between two liquid treatments byconducting a drying step in place of a squeezing or suction removalstep. This is readily possible without any great expenditure in case ofsolvents, in particular, since the solvents evaporate very rapidly,i.e., the material moistened by the solvents dries veryquickly. Anespecially gentle treatment is achieved by conducting or drawing agaseous or vaporous treatment medium through the material disposed onthe sieve drum, for purposes of drying the material. The sievedrum,provided for the partial intermediate drying of the material can beassociated additionally with a nozzle drying device or an infraredirradiating device in order to dry the material more rapidly.

It is particularly economical to wash the material with solvents, thento dry the material in a continuous process in a solvent-containingatmosphere,'and thereafter to finish the material by means of solvents,e.g., to dye, print and/or apply synthetic resins to the material. Bydrying the material with a solvent-containing atmosphere, the dryingtakes place more uniformly, and the danger of a migration of thepreparations, for example dyestuffs or synthetic resins, during thedrying step is prevented.

It has also been found to be especially advantageous to dry the materialwithout any contact, after the application of the dyebath or the bathcontaining the synthetic resins and the like or to pre-dry the materialto a moisture of below about 25-30 percent, and to thereafter fix thethus-applied dyestuffs, synthetic resins and the like onto or into thefiber. This is preferably done I by the use of at least one sieve meanssubjected to a suction draft, for example a sieve drum. A sieve drumexhibits the advantage that, on the one hand, the mate-' rial is heldand guided without tension by the suction draft and, on the other hand,the treatment takes place very uniformly and intensely, since everyfiber is surrounded by the flow of the treatment medium. Duringthe-predrying step, it has been proven to be advantageous to conduct thematerial vertically, and to dry the same by means of irradiation, nozzledrying devices and/or high frequency electrical energy. When the ma--terial is conducted and dried in this manner, no dyestuff migrationleading to two-sidedness occurs. In the case of knitted goods which tendto shrink in width when guided freely over a certain distance, it isadvantageous to guide the material, at least during the predrying ordrying step, in tentering chains, preferably in a vertical orientation.By guiding the material in tentering chains, it is not only possible toentirely avoid a shrinkage in width, but the material can even be fromthe sieve drum to a subsequent roll immersed in the treatment bath.However, it is also possible to pass the material in a buckled manneronly on the rolls immersed in the treatment bath or, conversely, toconduct the material in a smooth condition on these rolls and to conveythe material in the buckled condition only on the drying drums.

According to the present invention, the thermosol dyeing process can beadapted to solvent treatment by dispersing the dispersion dyed in thesolvent and applying the dyes uniformly to the textile material with theaid of the solvent. After the drying step and the removal of thesolvent, the fixing (thermosoling) can then be carried out under thethermosol conditions of temperatures customary for the respectivedye-stuffs.

In accordance with the present invention, it has furthermore beendiscovered that solvents can also be employed for the reinforcement ofnon-woven materials, stitched felts, and similar products, by dispersingor dissolving a binder in the solvent. By the use of solvents, hereagain a substantial increase in efficiency and a more economical mode ofoperation can be obtained.

In order to be able to subject to the solvent treatment materials whichtend to roll up; such as, for example, knitted goods, as well astension-sensitive goods, such for example, very thick carpets,particularly tufted and stitched felt carpets, non-reinforced non-wovenmaterials, combed yarn and loose fibrous material, it is suggested toguide these materials during the treatment process on conveying elementswhich are subjected to a suction draft, particularly sieve drumssubjected to a suction draft, and to do this during the impregating stepas well as during the drying and fixing steps.

In order to conduct the above-mentioned processes, an apparatus issuggested wherein a dryer containing sieve drums is provided with agastight housing, said dryer being provided with an air exhaust which isin communication with a solvent recovery plant. In this connection,after the recovery of the solvent, it is advantageous to recycle thegas, e.g. the air, employed for the removal of the solvent from thefibers back into the dryer for the purpose of removing further solvent.Due

to this feature, it is unnecessary to remove the solventcompletely fromthe gas, for example the air. This is practically impossible anyway. Thesolvent losses can thereby be substantially reduced. It is furthermoresuggested for the treatment of fibrous material to dispose at least onesieve drum bath containing at least one sieve drum within a gastighthousing, or to provide such sieve drum bath with a gastight housing, andto connect said housing with a solvent purification and recovery plant.In this connection, the treatment medium flows through the sieve drumsby means of a suction draft or by means of a difference in levelsbetween the liquid disposed outside of the sieve drum and the liquidpresent inside of the sieve drum. It is likewise possible to subject thesieve drum to an excess pressure (superatmospheric pressure) and toforce the solvent through the sieve drum and through the materialdisposed about the sieve drum.

In order to achieve higher production, it is advantageous to provideseveral sieve drum baths in series, and to associate at least oneresidence bath with the sieve drum baths. In this connection, theresidence bath is connected with the sieve drum bath or the sieve drumbaths in a gastight manner, 0 is arranged in a common gastight housing.

In order to be able to remove moisture from materials, particularlytension-sensitive materials, between.

two solvent treatment stages, it is suggested to connect a permeablesuction roll directly behind the roll immersed in the solvent bath. Bymeans of such a suction roll, all tensile stresses which otherwise occurin the material, are substantially avoided.

In this connection, it is suggested to expose the suction roll to athrottled suction draft in the entire zone covered by the material andto a full suction draft at least a narrow zone. However, the zone whichis free. of material is completely shielded from the suction draft by acover member. Such a staggering of the suction zones has the advantagethat the material is taken over automatically by the suction roll and isguided to a subsequent conveying element, if such an element isappropriately associated with said suction roll. Thus the adherence ofthe material to the suction roll is thereby improved, and accordingly acompletely tension-free conductance is ensured. Furthermore, the liquidentrained by the material from the bath can be removed in part by thethrottled suction zone so that, at the suction slot proper, a moreuniform and satisfactory dewatering can take place. I

This subdivision into different zones can be attained in an effectivemanner by a stationary tube disposed in the suction roll, said tubebeing provided with webs for the purpose of sealing the individualsuction zones from one another. At the webs, elastic sealing strips canbe attached, or said webs can be provided with a labyrinth packing(seal) in order to avoid any large frictional forces. In the throttledpartial zones of the tube, several bores are provided. The number offree bores is dependent on the desired vacuum pressure on the suctionroll in these zones. The stationary tube furthermore exhibits a suctionslot, or several suction slots, at those points where the full suctioneffect is to occur. In the zone wherein the suction roll is not coveredby the material, the innter stationary concentric tube likewise exhibitsno openings. The inner stationery tube is incommunication with a suctiondevice. In place of a tube, it is also possible to employ several coverparts, tube parts or baffle plates which, in this case, are suitablyconnected with each other at the sealing webs. In this embodimentsealing strips can be provided between the cover plates.

It is also possible to expose the suction rolls to a slight suctiondraft over the entire region covered by the material, and to form thedewatering zone or zones proper by providing at these points a blowingdevice such as a blowpipe outside of the suction roll. With the aid ofthis blowpipe, air is pressed through the textile material at a highvelocity for dewatering purposes. This blowing device can also beadditionally provided on a suction roll which is provided with at leastone narrow zone subjected to the full suction draft.

In a multiple-bath unit, it is suggested to dispose the suction roll atthe transfer point between two baths. In this connection, it isadvantageous to associate the suction roll directly with two adjacentrolls in the treatment liquor, that is, in case of a multiple-bath unit,preferably with the rolls of two adjacent baths.

The lower portion of the suction roll can also be immersed in the bathliquid. The transverse partition between the two baths can be sealed tothe roll by means of an elastic sealing strip.

It has proved to be advantageous to design the jacket of the suctionrolls with as large a free area as possible.

The free area, in this connection, should be larger than 50 percent,preferably larger than 80 percent. Such large free areas are obtained,for example, by manufacturing the jacket of so-called expanded metal(metal mesh). Such an expanded metal consists of narrow webs with largecavities or hollow spaces in between. In connection with verypressure-sensitive materials, it is advantageous to stretch a fine-meshscreen fabric over the jacket of the suction roll.

The diameter of the suction roll proper is not to be too small. Thissuction roll is to exhibit at least approximately the same diameter asthe rolls in the treatment bath.

In accordingly with another feature of the present invention, it issuggested, for the purpose of removing moisture from the materialbetween and after the sol- In manycases however, it is more advantageousto dispose a sieve drum dryer above the bath-containers and to providethe inlet and outlet opening or openings in the bottom of the sieve drumdryer housing.

In order to be able to'execute the finishing process in a continuousprocedure with the washing and drying steps, it is suggested to dispose,after the dryer, a printing unit and/or an impregnating device, as wellas a drying and/or fixing device. Here again, the housings of thesedevices can form a gastight structural unit with the dryer.

lf desired, the dryer housing can be subdivided by partitions intoindividual compartments, especially in the case where the process is tobe conducted with differing treatment temperatures or dryingtemperatures.

A suitable drying medium can be air, superheated steam, or a steam-airmixture, or, if required, it is also possible to employ protective gasesor a vapor, for example, solvent vapors, as the drying medium. In placeof a dryer, a sieve drum steamer can also be provided. This, then,exhibits the advantage that it is possible to conduct, Y in addition tothe abovementioned drying process, also steam treatments with saturatedsteam or superheated steam between the individual bath treatments. Sucha device can accordingly be used with a substantially greaterversatility.

Particularly in the case of a steamer arrangement and solventtreatments, it is advantageous to dispose the treatment baths and' thesieve drums in a common housing; In such a disposal of the treatmentbaths and i the sieve drums in a common housing, it is furthermoresuggested to dispose the sieve drums directly adjoining the throughflowrolls associated withthe baths, so that the material can be transferredfrom the throughflow.

rolls directly to the sieve drums, and vice versa. In such anarrangements, it is also possible to pass the material in a radicallyextending (pleated) manner over all of the drums. Also, the constructionof this device is not complicated since no additional guide elements,such heavier than air, the difference in the specific gravities providesa thorough separation and sealing effect in provide said duct with acooling unit. The solvent entering the well thus condenses on the cooledwalls of the well and runs down along said walls. At the bottom,collecting channels can be provided by means of which the condensedsolvent is returned into the bath. Furthermore, it has proven to beadvantageous to provide an intermediate ceiling in the housing of thewashing plant, said ceiling being provided with a cooling unit. Forexample, the intermediate-ceiling can be equipped with cooling pipes. Alarge portion of the solvent evaporated from the washing plant condenseson this intermediate ceiling, and at the same time, the sealing effectof the upper portion of the housing is thereby improved as well.Furthermore a constant cooling of the solvent atmosphere in the washingplant is attained. Above the intermediate ceiling, a slight suction canbe maintained so that the interior of the housing in the washing plantis under a slight vacuum pressure. Thus any efflux of the solvent at theinlet and outlet of the apparatusis avoided.

In order to remove the thus-formed condensate on the intermediateceiling, said ceiling is disposed in an inclined manner, and acondensate collecting drain is provided on its lowermost side.

It has also proven to be advantageous to construct the inlet and outletopenings of the dryer and/or the fixing unit, above a sieve drum whichis subjected to a suction draft,so that the material can be introducedto the sieve drum by free falland can again be withdrawn therefrom in avertical direction.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, it issuggested to also employ the conventional washing, impregnating, anddrying devices suitable for a water treatment and to dispose thesedevices in a compartment vor chamber which is sealed in a gastightmanner. The individual devices, as well as'the chambers, arethenconnected with the recovery plant. The chamber can be made accessible byway of doors which prevent anefflux of the solvent.

Another arrangement of the apparatus according to the present inventioncomprises an impregnating device, a printing device and/or a coatingdevice enclosed in an airtight fashion and a dryer provided with agastight housing, as well as a solvent recovery plant and a fixingdevice which is combined with the dryer and which makes it possible toheat the textile material, in

l a shock-like manner, to a fixing temperature of, for example, aboutl-250C.

In this connection, the dryer and the fixing device can be accommodatedin a common, housing which is subdivided into at least two treatmentchambers, wherein at least the first treatment chamber is incommunication with a solvent recovery plant.

However, it is also possible, and advantageous in many cases, to diposethe dryer and the fixing plant separately from each other, therebymaking it also possible to operate the fixing plant by itself. Thusbetween the dryer and the fixing plant there should be provided room forat least a mandrel or a carton which the textile material is disposed infolds.

In many cases, it is advantageous, especially for dye ing processes, toconstruct the dryer as a duct through drum subjected to a suction draftfor drying and/or fix ing purposes, a simple recovery of the evaporatedsolvent is made possible by placing these devices in communication witha cooler wherein a large part of the solvent contained in the treatmentgas can be separated by condensation. The gas which still contains aminor portion of solvent, is then recycled to the treatment plant.Accordingly, a complicated and expansive absorber for the removal of thesolvent is unnecessary in i this device.

Very low solvent losses are produced when disposing a cooling unit afterthe final dryer or fixing unit, containing at least one cooling drumsubjected to a suction draft, and also when providing that the blower ofthis cooling drum is in communication with an absorber, so that thecooling air drawn in by the cooling drum can be conducted into theabsorber where it is freed from the residual solvent. The thus-recoveredsolvent is recycled to the treatment plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become morefully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and theaccompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only andthus are not limitative of the present invention and wherein,

FIG. 1 shows a device for the treatment of woven and knitted goods withsolvents;

FIG. 2 shows a device for the treatment of loose fibrous material withsolvents;

FIG. 3 shows a drying and fixing device,

FIG. 4 shows a washing device with a suction units in a longitudinalsectional view;

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the apparatus of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the washing and suction device in alongitudinal sectional view;

FIG. 7 shows a washing and drying device in a longitudinal sectionalview; and

FIGS. 8-10 show other embodiments of the washing and drying device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the apparatus of FIG. 1, thetextile material lto be treated is introduced into a wet treatmentdevice 5, sealed in a gastight fashion by means of a driven pair ofrolls 4. The wet treatment devices comprises, in the first portion, atrough-shaped tank 7 which is partially filled with a solvent. Theweb-shaped textile material is introduced into the solvent bath, inapleated or folded condition and remains therefor a certain period oftime. Thereafter, the textile material 1 is fed by way of rolls 12,which can optionally be constructed as spreader rolls, to a sieve drum 9which is subjected to a suction draft. While on the sieve drum, thetextile material 1 is subjected to an intense throughflow of thesolvent. The solvent, which is drawn from the sieve drum 9, ispreferably pumped back into the troughshaped tank 7 beneath the textilematerial. The conveyance of the textile material in the solvent bath islikewise effected on the sieve drum. Thereafter, the textile material 1is squeezed by passing it through a press 13, where it is substantiallyfreed of solvents. Underneath the press rolls 13, a collecting container14 is disposed wherein the pressed-out liquid is collected and pumped toa recovery plant. It has been generally found that the solvent liquorremoved from the material by the presses is highly contaminated.However, it is possible to pump part of the solvent liquor drawn fromthe sieve drum 9 to the solvent recovery plant. The thus-purifiedsolvent can then be recycled to the wet treatment device 5.

By way of conveyor belt 15, thetextile material 1 passes into the dryer19. At the inlet to the dryer, a pair of rolls 27 is associated with theconveyor belt 15. The construction of the dryer l9essentially-corresponds to the conventional sieve drum dryers. In thedryer 19,

sieve drums 25 subjected to a suction draft are disposed. Also, screencovers 22 are arranged above and below the sieve drums. A fan isprovided at at least one front end of each dru'm, said fan generating avacuum pressure in the sieve drum 25 thereby effecting a throughflow ofthe treatment medium through the textile material. The treatment mediumexhausted by the fan (not shown) is blown back into the treatmentchamber via heating elements and through screen covers to the sievedrums 25. The screen covers 22 distribute the treatment medium uniformlyover the surface of the sieve drums. The treatment medium can be airsteam, air-steam mixture or other gases. On the side of the sieve drumfree of material being treated, a cover member is associated with theinside surface of the sieve drums, said cover member preventing any ofthe treatment medium from being drawn into the sieve drum at this point.The cover member26 of the individual sieve drums can be disposes in anoffset or stagtomatic transfer of the material is effected from onesieve drum to the'next sieve drum. At the outlet of the dryer,-a chuteor slide 28 and a roll 29 are provided.

The solvent-enriched air can be partially removed, for example, at theinlet or front end of the dryer 19, by an air exhaust means 31 andpassed to the recovery plant (not shown). The air which is substantiallyfreed of the solvent can then be recycled from the recovery plantthrough a duct 32 at the front end of the dryer outlet into the dryingchamber. The textile material I removed from the drying chamber is laiddown in pleats or folds or wound on a mandrel.

In the wet treatment device 5, as well as in the housing 17 surroundingthe conveyor belt 15, windows 34 are advantageously provided in order toobserve the textile material. Similarly, windows (not shown) can also bearranged in the housing 20 of the dryer 19.

The apparatus according to FIG. 2 has a hopper feeder (box feeder) 33through which the loose fibrous material is passed onto a conveyor belt16 as a uniform fleece 2. The conveyor belt 16 extends into the gastighthousing of the wet treatment device 5. At the inlet of the housing 6, apair of rolls-l2 is associated with the conveyor belt 16. The fleeve 2of loose fibrous material is then conveyed to a drum 8 essentiallycorresponding, with respect to its diameter, to the sieve drum 9disposed therebehind. The fleece is pressed and squeezed between thedrum 8 and the sieve drum 9 and immersed into the treatment liquor. Onthe sieve drum 9, the fleece is exposed to an intense throughflow of thesolvent bath. From the sieve drum 9, the fleece is then transferreddirectly to a press 13. From there, the fleece passes to another sievedrum 9 disposed in a bath with squeeze rollers connected thereafter.Depending on the type of treatment and the capacity desired, severalsuch sieve drum baths can be arranged in series. In the illustrateddevice three sieve drums are provided. Now, the fleece 2 passes via aconveyor belt 15 into a dryer 19 in order to remove any still adheringsolvent which may be still adhering to the material being treated. Thisdryer 19 corresponds to that of FIG. 1 with respect to its construction.Accordingly, identical parts bear the same reference numerals.

In the device of FIG. 2, it is not only possible to treat continuouslywith a solvent, web-shaped textile materials, but also garments, if theconveyor belt 16 is long enough, or if the hopper feeder 33 is removed.It is also possible to treat, by means of this apparatus, skein-likegoods or parallel groups of threads.

If a longer residence time or several treatments in thesolvent bath arenot required, for example in impregnating processes, then the textilematerial 1 can be conducted directly into the last sieve drum bath, asindicated by the dot-dash lines. The trough-shaped con tainer in FIG. 1and the sieve drum baths in FIG. 2 can be by-passed in thisway in a veryeffective manner. Accordingly, the illustrated devices can likewise-beemployed for the impregnation, sizing, high-finishing, or reinforcingtextile materials.

This device shown in FIG. 3 consists of a sieve-drum impregnatingwet-treatment device 5 having a gastight housing 6 which is extended tothe dryer housing 20..

The inlet of the impregnating wet-treatment device 5 is sealed by a pairof rolls 4. A sieve drum 9 subjected to a suction draft served forguiding the material through the impregnating liquor. A portion of thetreatment bath is removed from the web-shaped textile material 1 bymeans of a press 13. The textile material 1 then passes via a conveyorbelt into the dryer chamber 23 where a sieve drum 25 subjected to asuction draft is arranged. Theside of the sieve drum 25.not covered withthe material being treated is shielded from the suction draft in aconventional manner by the use of a stationary cover member 26. On oneor both front ends of the sieve drum 25, fans (not shown) are disposedfor the production of the suction draft and for circulating thetreatment medium, forexample air.

Part of the treatment medium enriched with the solvent is conducted viaan exhaust duct 31 to a recovery plant (not shown). Exhaust apertures 35are provided for removing the solvent vapors by means of a suction.

The dryer housing is subdivided by a wall 21 into the drying chamber 23and a fixing chamber 24. In the fixing chamber 24, substantially highertemperatures are utilized than in the drying chamber 23. For example,the treatment medium circulated in this fixing chamber can be heated toabout 250C. or more. The heating device in the drying chamber 23 as wellas in the fixing chamber 24 can be provided in a conventional mannerabove and beneath the fans, or above and beneath the sieve drums. It ispossible to operate with steam, oil, gas or electric heating means.

Sieve drums 25 subjected to a suction draft are also disposed in thefixing chamber 24, the textile material being alternately guided overthese drums in a conventional manner. However, it is also possible toconvey the textile material on only one side, i.e. only over the upperside or the lower side thereof, along the sieve drums. Such a guidanceis required for the treatment of tufted carpets. Screen covers 22 forrendering the flow uniform are disposed above and below the sieve drums.

At the outlet of the illustrated apparatus, another conveyor belt 30 isprovided. However, in place of this conveyor belt, a pair of rolls or achute can be arranged at this point. An exhaust duct 31 is alsoprovidedin the fixing chamber 24, which duct, if required, can likewisebe extended to a solvent recovery plant. However, in most cases thisexhaust duct3l vents the treatment medium to the atmosphere.

Of course, it is also possible to provide any desired number of sievedrums, for example a higher number than that illustrated, or to'use oneor several conveyor belts subjected to a suction draft in place of sievedrums. Also, a combination of sieve drums and conveyor belts ispossible. Furthermore, a combination of sieve drums and a residencecompartment containing two rows of rolls, for example, as in a hot fluecan be used, over which rolls the textile material is alternatelyconveyed. Also, a hot flue by itself can be employed, if the textilematerial can withstand the tensile force occurring ina hot flue.

The apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises a tank 7 subdivided by atransverse partition 36 into two baths 37 and 38. In each bath, a sieveroll 9 is disposed which has liquid flowing therethrough. The material 1to be treated is fed to the sieve roll 9 via a roll 3 associatedtherewith and has the liquid flowing therethrough into said roll as aresult of a difference in liquid level on the outside and inside of thesieve roll. At the transfer point from bath 37 to bath 38, a suctionroll 10 is disposed outside of the treatment fluid. In the illustratedembodiment, the pereable roll 10 has a full suction zone 39 and twothrottled suction zones 40. The cover member 11 has the shape of a tubeand is provided with a few bores 41 in the zones 40, as wellas webs 42which separate the individual zone 39, 40 and43 from one another, thelatter not being subjected to a suction draft.

The material 1 can, in this connection, be a sensitive knitted materialor a sensitive non-woven product.

However, it can also consist of groups of threads, e.g.

yarns or spun cable.

As can be seenfrom FIG. 5, the sieve rolls 9 are open at one front end.At this front end a liquid collecting tank 44 with an intermediatebottom 45 is laterally disposed. A pump 47 is provided in an opening 46in the intermediate bottom 45. The pump motor 48 is mounted on a transom49 outside of the treatment fluid. This transom 49, in the presentembodiment, also carried the suction unit 50 with the motor 51 for thesuction roll 10. I

The device of FIG. 6 is'of similar construction as the device accordingto FIGS. 4 and 5. The same parts thus bear identical reference numerals.Inthis device, the sieve rolls 9 are suction rolls and are completelyimmersed in the treatment liquor. In each sieve roll 9, a pump 52 isarranged at a front end thereof, said pump producing the suction draft.The suction rolls 10 are, partially immersed in the fluid and separatethe individ-. ual baths from one another in cooperation with thetransverse walls 36. Such baths are also suitable for solvent'treatment.For this purpose, cover hoods (not shown) are provided. I

In the device of FIG. 7, a web-shaped textile material 1 is drawn offfrom a stack 53 by way of a material inlet creel 3 and is conveyed viaweb guides 54 into a sieve drum-dryer 19. The latter contains a sievedrum 25 subjected to a suction draft, said drum being shielded fromthe'suction draft on the side'free of material by means of a covermember 26. Here, the textile material 1 is eithercompletely dried, ordried to a constant moisture content of between about l-2 percent. Thedry textile material passes via a pair of tension rolls 4 and a verticalinlet duct 18 into the washing plant 5. The washing plant has a gastighthousing 6 surrounding three sieve drum washing baths 24. Each sieve drumwashing bath 24 is provided witha sieve drum 9 which has the treatmentliquid flowing therethroug'h. After each bath 24, a pair of squeezerollers (a press) 13 is provided. By way of a dancer roll 55, the pressvelocity is controlled so that even'is case of a shrinking material amaterial feed which is low in tension is ensured. The outlet of thewashing plant is again constructed as a duct 18-. Cooling coils 56 arealso disposed above an intermediate floor 57 so that the solvent vaporwhich enters the space above the intermediate floor 57 can be can berecycled into the last bath. The web-shaped textile material 1, afterleaving the duct 18, is passed by means of a conveyor belt 15 to theinlet duct 59 of the dryer disposed thereafter which dryer is divided bypartition walls 80 into a drying zone or unit 19 and a fixing zone orunit 63. By free fall, the material is deposited on the sieve drum 25subjected to a suction draft, which is arranged therebelow. The dryingair or the superheated steam, orthe steam-air mixture is drawn throughthe material by the suction draft. The evaporating efficiency iscorrespondingly high. The solventenriched air or steam passes, via anair exhaust 31, to a cooler 60 wherein a large part of the solventvapors are collected as condensate. This condensate is recycled to thewashing baths, optionally by way of a purification plant. Also the exitof the dryer is formed as a duct 59.

Subsequently, the material 1 passes, by way of a further conveyor belt16, to-a foulord or padder 61 where it is impregnated with a dye liquorand/or a bath containing a synthetic resin. Thereafter, the web-shapedtextile material 1 passes, without contact, through a predrying duct 62,where it is dried to a certain moisture content by means of nozzles,radiant heat and/or by means of high frequency. It has proved to beadvantageous to dry the material in this predrying duct at least to awater content of about 20-30 percent.

The residual drying and the fixing of the dyestuffs, or the condensingof the synthetic resins, take place in a subsequently disposedsieve-drum drying and fixing unit 63 having essentially the sameconstruction as the sieve drum dryer unit 19. A cooling unit 64 isinserted after the sieve drum drying and fixing unit 63, saidv coolingunit containing a sieve drum 65 subjected to a suction draft. Thematerial guided around the sieve drum 65 is cooled with ambient air, bydrawing this air through the material into the sieve drum. Thereafter,the drawn-in air is passed into an absorber (not shown) where the smallamounts of solvent are removed from the air'and recovered. The coolingunit 64 is associated with a swing arm depositer 66, which againdeposits the web-shaped material 1 in the form of a folded stack 53.However, the web-shaped material 1 can also be wound up by means of areeling-up device (not shown).

The device of FIG. 8 contains treatment baths 5 and drying devices 19disposed separately from one another. In the treatment baths 5, a sievedrum 9 having liquid flowing therethrough is provided. In the presentexample, the sieve drum 9 is subjected to a flow due to a leveldifference, that is, the level of the liquidin the drum 9 issubstantially lower than that outside of the drum. The drum 9 is open atone front end, so that the liquid flowing through the material 1 canexit at this front end into a collecting tank (not shown). From there,the liquid is recycled into the bath by means of a pump (not shown).Guide rolls 8 are associated with the drum 9. The material 1 passes to asieve drum 25 of the drying device 19 by way of a conveyor belt 15. Thedrying device 19 has a heat-insulated housing 20 containing a sieve drum25 subjected to a suction draft. Thesuction draft is produced by a fan(not shown) arranged at the front end of the sieve drum. The fan isassociated with a heating unit. The air drawn from the sieve drum by thefan is conducted via the heating unit back to the space 23 around thesieve drum 25. In order to render the flow of the conveyed air uniform,a screen cover 22 is provided. In the sieve drum 25, a cover member 26is disposed on that side free of material, shielding the suction drafton this side. The mate rial l thereafter passes, via another conveyorbelt 16, to a second treatment bath 5 and from there, in the same mannerinto a further dryer 19. Any desired number of baths 5 and dryers 19 canbe combined.

In the 'device of FIG. 9, the same baths 5 as in'the device of FIG. 8are provided. Several sieve drums 25 are disposed in a common housing 20in this device, which housing is located above the baths 5. The innerspace of the dryer 19 can be subdivided into individual treatmentchambers by walls 21, as indicated by the dashed lines. The remainingstructure corresponds to the dryer of FIG. 8. At the end of the device,a reeling-up device 67 can be provided. However, it is also possible toem ploy a device laying the material down in pleats.

In the device of FIG. 10, the baths 5 are disposed in the dryer housing20. In this connection, the sieve drums 25 are directly associated withthe pereable drums 9 in the baths 5. Such an apparatus exhibits theadvantage that it is also usable for solvent and steaming treatments,and that the material 1 can be conveyed through the device in aparticularly gentle manner and without any tensile stress.

. What is claimed is:

1. An. apparatus for the treatment of textile materials which comprises,in combination, a washing plant comprising at least one sieve drumwashing bath enclosed in a gastight housing, said housing being providedwith substantially vertical inlet and outlet ducts in the inlet anddischarge side of the housing, an intermediate ceiling disposed in saidhousing, said ceiling being inclined towards the discharge end of thehousing, a sieve drum dryer disposed behind said washing plant, saiddryer being divided by partition means into a drying zone and a fixingzone, each of said zones'containing at least one sieve drum meanssubjected to a suction draft, a cooling device disposed behind the'sievedrum dryer and a 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein another sieve drumdryer containing at least one sieve drum means subjected to a suctiondraft is arranged in front of said washing plant.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein creel means are provided forintroducing the material to be treated to the other sieve drum dryer.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a pair of tension rolls are providedfor conveying the material from the other dryer to an inlet of thewashing plant.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein cooling means are operativelyassociated with the washing plant for cooling the material entering saidwashing plant.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein cooling means are disposed in a zonedefined by the intermediate ceiling and the ceiling of the'washingplant.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a collecting drain isprovided nearan outlet of the washing plant in the vicinity of the intermediateceiling so that vapor condensing in said zone defined by theintermediate ceiling and the ceiling of the washing plant is collectedin said collecting drain.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said washing plant includes aplurality of sieve drum washing baths arranged in series, and means areprovided for recycling the condensate from the collecting drain to thelast bath of the series in the washing plant.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of sieve drum means arearranged in serieswithin said washing plant and a pair of squeezerollers are disposed behind each sieve drum means disposed in thewashing plant.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein dancer rolls are disposed in frontof each of said pair of squeeze rolls.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drying zone has an inletdisposed above the sieve drum means in said drying zone so that thematerial being treated is introduced in free fall to said sieve drummeans in said drying zone.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a first conveyor belt conveys thematerial being treated from the washing plant to the inlet of the dryingzone and a second conveyor belt conveys the material being treated fromthe drying zone.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fixing zone has an inletdisposed above the sieve drum means in said fixing zone so that thematerial being treated is introduced in free fall to said sieve drummeans in said fixing zone.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein a third conveyor belt conveys thematerial being treated to the inlet of the fixing zone and a fourthconveyor belt conveys the material being treated from the fixing zone.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein an impregnating means containing atreatment liquor is disposed in the dryer between the drying zone andthe fixing zone.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein roller means are provided forconveying the material being treated to, through and fromtheimpregnating means.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein a pair of squeeze rolls aredisposed behind the impregnating means.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein a predrying duct containingheating means is provided immediately after and above the impregnatingmeans, the material being treated being conveyed through said duct.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the drying zone and fixing zoneare each provided with exhaust ducts, said exhaust ducts communicatingwith cooling means.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein means are provided for conveyingthe condensate from the cooling means to a purifying plant and forrecycling the purified solvent from said purifying plant to the washingplant. v I

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cooling device is a sieve drummeans subjected to a suction draft.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein swing arm depositing means isoperatively associated with the cooling device for receiving thematerial therefrom, said swing arm also depositing the material in afolded stack.

23. An apparatus for thetreatment of textile materials which comprises,in combination, a washing plant comprising at least one sieve drumwashing bath enclosed in a gastight housing, said housing being providedwith substantially vertical inlet and'outlet ducts in the inlet anddischarge side of the housing, an intermediate ceilingdisposed in saidhousing, said ceiling being inclined towards the discharge end of thehousing, a sieve'drum dryer disposed behind said washing plant,containing at least one sieve drum means subjected to a suction draftfor drying the textile material, and a means for introducing the textileinto and recovering the material from the apparatus.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said sieve drum dryer is dividedinto a drying zone and a fixing zone, each of said zones having at leastone sieve drum means.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said gastight housing is providedwith gas exhaust means, said gas exhaust means being connected to asolvent recovery plant whereby a solvent used in said washing plant maybe recovered by said solvent recovery plant. I l

1. An apparatus for the treatment of textile materials which comprises,in combination, a washing plant comprising at least one sieve drumwashing bath enclosed in a gastight housing, said housing being providedwith substantially vertical inlet and outlet ducts in the inlet anddischarge side of the housing, an intermediate ceiling disposed in saidhousing, said ceiling being inclined towards the discharge end of thehousing, a sieve drum dryer disposed behind said washing plant, saiddryer being divided by partition means into a drying zone and a fixingzone, each of said zones containing at least one sieve drum meanssubjected to a suction draft, a cooling device disposed behind the sievedrum dryer and a means for recovering the material being treated fromthe apparatus.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein another sieve drumdryer containing at least one sieve drum means subjected to a suctiondraft is arranged in front of said washing plant.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein creel means are provided for introducing the materialto be treated to the other sieve drum dryer.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3wherein a pair of tension rolls are provided for conveying the materialfrom the other dryer to an inlet of the washing plant.
 5. The apparatusof claim 4, wherein cooling means are operatively associated with thewashing plant for cooling the material entering said washing plant. 6.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein cooling means are disposed in a zonedefined by the intermediate ceiling and the ceiling of the washingplant.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a collecting drain isprovided near an outlet of the washing plant in the vicinity of theintermediate ceiling so that vapor condensing in said zone defined bythe intermediate ceiling and the ceiling of the washing plAnt iscollected in said collecting drain.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, whereinsaid washing plant includes a plurality of sieve drum washing bathsarranged in series, and means are provided for recycling the condensatefrom the collecting drain to the last bath of the series in the washingplant.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of sieve drummeans are arranged in series within said washing plant and a pair ofsqueeze rollers are disposed behind each sieve drum means disposed inthe washing plant.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein dancer rolls aredisposed in front of each of said pair of squeeze rolls.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the drying zone has an inlet disposedabove the sieve drum means in said drying zone so that the materialbeing treated is introduced in free fall to said sieve drum means insaid drying zone.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a first conveyorbelt conveys the material being treated from the washing plant to theinlet of the drying zone and a second conveyor belt conveys the materialbeing treated from the drying zone.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein the fixing zone has an inlet disposed above the sieve drum meansin said fixing zone so that the material being treated is introduced infree fall to said sieve drum means in said fixing zone.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13 wherein a third conveyor belt conveys the materialbeing treated to the inlet of the fixing zone and a fourth conveyor beltconveys the material being treated from the fixing zone.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14 wherein an impregnating means containing atreatment liquor is disposed in the dryer between the drying zone andthe fixing zone.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein roller means areprovided for conveying the material being treated to, through and fromthe impregnating means.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein a pair ofsqueeze rolls are disposed behind the impregnating means.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17 wherein a predrying duct containing heating meansis provided immediately after and above the impregnating means, thematerial being treated being conveyed through said duct.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18 wherein the drying zone and fixing zone are eachprovided with exhaust ducts, said exhaust ducts communicating withcooling means.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein means are providedfor conveying the condensate from the cooling means to a purifying plantand for recycling the purified solvent from said purifying plant to thewashing plant.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cooling deviceis a sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein swing arm depositing means is operatively associatedwith the cooling device for receiving the material therefrom, said swingarm also depositing the material in a folded stack.
 23. An apparatus forthe treatment of textile materials which comprises, in combination, awashing plant comprising at least one sieve drum washing bath enclosedin a gastight housing, said housing being provided with substantiallyvertical inlet and outlet ducts in the inlet and discharge side of thehousing, an intermediate ceiling disposed in said housing, said ceilingbeing inclined towards the discharge end of the housing, a sieve drumdryer disposed behind said washing plant, containing at least one sievedrum means subjected to a suction draft for drying the textile material,and a means for introducing the textile into and recovering the materialfrom the apparatus.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said sievedrum dryer is divided into a drying zone and a fixing zone, each of saidzones having at least one sieve drum means.
 25. The apparatus of claim23, wherein said gastight housing is provided with gas exhaust means,said gas exhaust means being connected to a solvent recovery plantwhereby a solvent used in said washing plant may be recovered by saidsolvent recovery plant.